Bulgarian Mobile Number Portability Dispute Rages On
Business | August 30, 2007, Thursday
Bulgarian customers are currently deprived of their right to keep their phone numbers when they dump a mobile network for another. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria's smaller two cellphone operators, Globul and Vivatel, accused the country's dominant mobile telecom M-Tel of attempting to intentionally delay the introduction of number portability in the country.
According to Bulgaria's electronic communications law, which went into force in January, customers leaving a mobile network should have had the option to keep their numbers in their new operator.
But the service has not been implemented yet, with Austria Telekom-owned M-Tel arguing the law did not properly address privacy concerns and contained too many loopholes that could be easily abused.
Globul and Vivatel hit back on Thursday, saying that the dominant operator's plan to develop new rules was meant to further delay the introduction of the service.
Cosmote-owned Globul and Vivatel, the mobile arm of dominant fixed-line telecom BTC, claim their existing proposal is problem-free for users and has been approved by the industry regulator.
Bulgaria's telecoms watchdog CRC said last week the three operators had until September 20 to agree on a plan for number portability.
The operators have rowed for months on the issue, with M-Tel demanding that the network receiving the new number should pay the other operator a fee for the transference.
Globul and Vivatel insist that the service should be free of charge.
At the end of last year, M-Tel had a market share of just over 50%, in terms of subscribers, compared to 40% by Globul and 10% by Vivatel.
According to Bulgaria's electronic communications law, which went into force in January, customers leaving a mobile network should have had the option to keep their numbers in their new operator.
But the service has not been implemented yet, with Austria Telekom-owned M-Tel arguing the law did not properly address privacy concerns and contained too many loopholes that could be easily abused.
Globul and Vivatel hit back on Thursday, saying that the dominant operator's plan to develop new rules was meant to further delay the introduction of the service.
Cosmote-owned Globul and Vivatel, the mobile arm of dominant fixed-line telecom BTC, claim their existing proposal is problem-free for users and has been approved by the industry regulator.
Bulgaria's telecoms watchdog CRC said last week the three operators had until September 20 to agree on a plan for number portability.
The operators have rowed for months on the issue, with M-Tel demanding that the network receiving the new number should pay the other operator a fee for the transference.
Globul and Vivatel insist that the service should be free of charge.
At the end of last year, M-Tel had a market share of just over 50%, in terms of subscribers, compared to 40% by Globul and 10% by Vivatel.
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